Artificial leg with detachable stump supporting sock



July 26, 1966 S. ARGERSINGER ARTIFICIAL LEG WITH DETACHABLE STUMP SUPPORTING SOCK Filed June 6, 1965 INVENTOR. Jecmr AVfQ/J/flf/ BY W ATTORN EY- United States Patent Filed June 6, 1963, Ser. No. 286,035 Claims. (Cl. 3-17) This invention relates to improvements in Artificial Leg. The principal objects of this invention are:

First, to provide a simple lightweight artificial leg which can be quickly applied to the stump of the wearer.

Second, to provide an artificial leg for use as an emergency leg or as a temporary convenience when it would be unnecessary to attach a more complex artificial limb.

Third, to provide a lightweight quickly attachable artificial leg in which a stump sock is removably connected so that the sock can be removed for laundering as required.

Fourth, to provide a quickly attachable artificial leg in which a stump sock with an elastic band in the upper end is used as a retaining element for securing the artificial leg to the stump of the user during use.

Fifth, to provide an artificial leg that is waterproof and may be used in a shower.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from a consideration of the following description and claims. The drawings, of which there is one sheet, illustrate two highly practical forms of the leg structure of the invention.

FIG. 1 is a front elevational view of the assembled leg of the invention.

FIG. 2 is a transverse cross sectional view taken along the plane of the line 2-2 in FIG. 3.

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary vertical cross sectional View taken along the plane of the line 3-3 in FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary vertical cross sectional view through a modified form of leg structure.

The artificial leg of the invention is designed to be used in emergencies when the wearer needs to apply or put on an artificial leg in a lesser time than would be necessary to put on a more complex artificial limb. This may also 'be used as a convenience when the wearer desires or needs to use the leg for a short period only. The example of the artificial leg illustrated is designed for use by a person having a leg stump below the knee joint but the same principle of the leg structure could obviously be applied and incorporated in a artificial leg sized to fit the stump of an amputee having his leg removed above the knee joint.

The leg consists of a hollow truncated sleeve 1 of any suitable material such as moulded plastic. The sleeve has two leg bars 2 secured to opposite sides thereof as by means of the screws or rivets indicated at 3. The leg bars converge downwardly and are secured to the opposite sides of a peg element 4 having a rubber or other cushioning ground engaging pad 5 on its lower end.

Removably received in the upper end of the tapering sleeve 1 is a downwardly tapering stump receiving member 6 which is also of hollow truncated shape sized to fit wedgingly within the upper end of the sleeve 1. The lower end of the stump receiving member is desirably -open for ventilation and has an inwardly turned annular flange 7 formed therearound. In the case of a leg de signed to be worn below a natural knee joint as in the example illustrated the upper projecting end of the stump receiving member may have downwardly curved recesses 8 in its front and rear sides.

Grippingly received and retained between the walls of the outer sleeve 1 and the inner stump receiving tube or member 6 is a knitted stump sock member 9 which may be closed at the lower end and extended across the opening in the bottom of the stump receiving member as at 10. The stump sock 9 projects substantially above the stump receiving member and has an annular elastic border 11 at its upper end which is sized to grippingly receive the stump of the natural leg of the wearer above the lower end of the stump that is received in the member 6.

With this construction the entire artificial leg is extremely light and inexpensive and can be quickly applied by the wearer by simply thrusting the stump of his leg into the sock 9 and the stump receiving member 6. The grip of the elastic band 11 holds the sock and the rigid portions of the leg connected thereto to the natural limb and of course the downward pressure of the wearers stump in the stump receiving member 6 is supported by the sleeve and the leg bars 1. When it becomes necessary to launder the stump sock 9. the stump receiving member 6 can be pushed out of gripping engagement with the sleeve 1 and the sock removed from the stump receiving member 6 for laundering.

The modified form of the artificial leg shown in FIG. 4 has a downwardly tapering sleeve 12 which is secured to leg bars 13 in the same manner as the sleeve 1. However, in this modification the interior of the sleeve 12 is provided with a series of annularly arranged inwardly and downwardly projecting teeth or catches 14 which are designed to grip or engage the side of the stump sock 9 and prevent withdrawal of the stump sock from the sleeve by merely lifting upwardly on the sleeve and particularly when the leg is being worn and the stump sock is stretched outwardly around the stump and into engagement with the teeth 14. This modification of the leg operates in the same fashion as the first form of the leg in that the elastic at the top of the stump sock supports the artificial leg while the wearer is walking and the weight of the wearers stump is supported in the sleeve 12 by the leg bars 13 as the wearer steps down onto the artificial leg.

In the first form of the leg shown in FIGS. 13 the interior size and cont-our of the stump receiving member 6 will be especially designed and fitted to the stump of the wearer and the outer sleeve 1 will be correspondingly sized to coact with the exterior of the stump receiving member although a standard fit between the inner stump receiving member 6 and the outer sleeve 1 may be made to function with a variety of stump sizes by changing only the inner contour and size of thestump receiving member 6.

In the modification shown in FIG. 4 the interior of the sleeve 12 will be sized to fit the stump of the particular wearer. Desirably the sock retaining teeth or projections 14 are formed far enough below the top of the sleeve 12 so that the stump receives adequate supporting engagement within the sleeve 12 without coming in irritating contact with the projections 14.

What is claimed as new is:

1. An artificial leg comprising,

a downwardly converging hollow truncate conical sleeve open at both ends,

leg bars secured to the sides of said sleeve and projecting convergingly therebelow to a ground engaging peg secured between said bars and having a cushion pad on its lower end,

a stump receiving member of hollow trunicated conical shape open at both ends and having an inwardly turned annular flange at its lower end and wedgingly received in the upper end of said sleeve,

the upper end of said stump receiving member having downwardly offset recesses in its front and back,

and a stump sock having a closed lower end fitted over the lower end of said stump receiving member with the sides of the sock grippingly received between said sleeve and said stump receiving member and projecting thereabove with an annular elastic leg engaging band portion in the upwardly projecting portion of said sock.

2. An artificial leg comprising,

a downwardly convergnig hollow truncated conical sleeve open at the top,

leg bars secured to the sides of said sleeve and projecting convergingly therebelow to a ground engaging pad on their lower end,

a relatively rigid and shape retaining stump receiving member of hollow truncated conical shape open at its upper end and wedgingly received in the upper end of said sleeve,

and a stump sock having a closed lower end fitted over the lower end of saidstump receiving member with the sides of the sock grippingly received between said sleeve and said stump receiving member and projecting thereabove with an annular elastic leg engaging band portion in the upwardly projecting portion of said sock.

3. An artificial leg comprising,

a downwardly converging hollow sleeve open at both ends,

leg bars secured to the sides of said sleeve and projecting convergingly therebelow to a ground engaging peg secured between said bars,

a relatively rigid and shape retaining stump receiving member of hollow truncated conical shape open at the top and wedgingly received in the upper end of said sleeve,

the upper end of said stump receiving member having downwardly offset recesses in its front and back,

and a stump sock having a closed lower end fitted over the lower end of said stump receiving member with the sides of the sock grippingly received between said sleeve and said stump receiving member and projecting thereabove with an annular elastic leg engaging band portion in the upwardly projecting portion of said sock.

4. An artificial leg comprising,

a hollow sleeve open at the top,

leg bars secured to the sides of said sleeve and projecting convergingly therebelow to a ground engaging pad on their lower end,

a relatively rigid and shape retaining stump receiving member of hollow truncated conical shape open at its upper end and wedgingly received in the upper end of said sleeve,

and a stump sock having a lower end fitted over said stump receiving member with the sides of the sock grippingly received between said sleeve and said stump receiving member and projecting thereabove with an annular elastic leg engaging band portion in the upwardly projecting portion of said sock. 5. An artificial leg comprising a relatively rigid and shape retaining water proof hollow stump receiving member converging downwardly and sized to fit in weight supporting engagement with the stump of the wearer,

leg bar means connected to said receiving member and projecting therebelow to a ground engaging pad connected to the bar means,

and a leg retaining stump sock of fabric connected to said stump receiving member and projecting thereabove with an annular elastic band at the upper end of sock grippingly engageable with the stump of the user,

said receiving member being connected to said bar means by being removably wedgingly engaged within a sleeve directly connected to the leg bar means,

said sock having its lower end sleeved around said receiving member and retainingly clamped between the receiving member and sleeve.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS OTHER REFERENCES Orthopaedic Appliances Atlas, volume 2, I. W. Ed-

wards-Ann Arbor, Michigan, 1960, page 135.

RICHARD A. GAUDET, Primary Examiner.

R. L. FRINKS, Assistant Examiner. 

4. AN ARTIFICAL LEG COMPRISING, A HOLLOW SLEEVE OPEN AT THE TOP, LEG BARS SECURED TO THE SIDES OF SAID SLEEVE AND PROJECTING CONVERGINGLY THEREBELOW TO A GROUND ENGAGING PAD ON THEIR LOWER END, A RELATIVELY RIGID AND SHAPE RETAINING STUMP RECEIVING MEMBER OF HOLLOW TRUNCATED CONICAL SHAPE OPEN AT ITS UPPER END AND WEDGINGLY RECEIVED IN THE UPPER END OF SAID SLEEVE, 